should i let my cat be outside?

[justmama]

I have had my cat for almost 4 years since he was 8 weeks old. He was born on a farm and lived the feral farm life until we took him home. He wanted to be outside so badly and cried and cried but we live one block off an exit ramp for a highway in the backyard and one block off a highway with 2 lanes in both directions on the side yard so i just kept him inside feeling really guilty for making him unhappy. Literally we are the third house from this major highway road. And I've been so scared to let him out that he will get close to the road and get hit. So I've kept him inside and each summer he gets so restless and antsy and upset with us and tries sneaking out the door every time it's opened. He's gotten out 3 times in the last week and has come back within hours when it's time to eat. He's extremely food motivated. I am so scared to let him out but it's obvious he wants it. Do I give in and let him be an indoor/outdoor cat or would you just tell him to suck it up and deal? We do take him out on a leash and harness but it's obviously not good enough for him because he sneaks out constantly and cries at the door. Today he snuck out while I was making dinner and ran off before I could catch him so I finished cooking, fed everyone and we went out to look for him. He didn't come when I called him like he usually does but we did finally hear the bell on his collar and track him down and he came out and let me carry him back inside. He was on our neighbor's property stalking bugs in the overgrowth back there. Literally 6 ft off our property so it's unlikely he's going far. But the highway is SO close, not even 100ft in either direction. Should I let him out? Should I just keep him in knowing he's unhappy but that I'm keeping him safe?

[litanyagainstfear]

I would keep him inside as much as you can considering his tendencies to escape. My parents lost a dog on their very quiet street when she ran through the wireless fence. Maybe you can find one of those window cat seat thingies so he can at least pretend to be outside a little? And maybe do one of those boxes of catgrass, too. It's never going to be the same as being outside, but it's better than the alternative, IMO.

My front door opens right into my living room, so my two kittens get plenty of bug hunting opportunities inside. :P

[Arduinna]

I personally don't agree with the whole lifelong indoor cat thing. I'd let him go out.


And before people start freaking out, save your breath, I've heard all the arguments and I won't be back to debate it.

[SubliminalDarkness]

And I don't personally agree with outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats, so I would say no, don't let him outside. In my county, it's illegal to have cats outside "off leash" and they can be seized by animal control.

[holz]

I'm having the same problem with one of my cats- same situation, we "rescued" him at a very young age, and now he keeps trying to get out...

I'm feeling very guilty for having tried to domesticate him, but I'm worried about letting him outside- we have neighbors whose indoor/outdoor cat has been attacked several times by raccoons (they're, like, mutant raccoons here). Every time we leave or enter the house, though, we have to make sure he doesn't get out, and he's got a higher success rate than we do.

Curious to see what others have to say.

[rhiOrion]

I look at it on a case-by-case basis of quality of life vs quantity of life.

So, in general, I think it's WAY preferable to have your cat be an indoor cat. Longer lifespan. Fewer vet bills. This is a generalization, of course, my parents had two indoor/outdoor cats who lived a good portion of their lives fairly close to a relatively busy road, and they lived to be 14.

But, I have known a few cats who were just. not. happy. being inside. In those situations, I think a little outside time may not be so bad. It's a risk, yes, but if the cat is truly unhappy inside, then I think it may be warrented.

But in your situation I'd be a bit more hesitant, with those busy roads right outside.

Could you try to sort of "outside train" your cat? Like, feed kitty daily at 5pm. Let kitty out daily at 4pm. Shake the food bowl at 5pm. Teach kitty that kitty gets one hour of outside time. Maybe he'd be less likely to wander very far that way? I've never tried such a thing, but it just came to my head.

Or could you get an enclosed dog run?

[rainsmom]

Ive had mostly OUTdoor/INdoor cats - who have lived 20 years this way. And indoor cats who have had just as many vet bills.

BUT on a busy road, you are taking your chances. Cats will wander that far, sometimes chasing something or being chased.

If possible, Id try to build one of those outdoor inclosures. You can find DIY homemade versions on the net, using scrap materials even.

Good luck. Ultimately its your choice - just have to weigh the risks.

[heartmama]

There are some instances where I'd have a cat outdoor or indoor/outdoor but in most cases, no. In this case, definitely not. With the roads that close it seems like it would just be a matter of time. You also need to think of the driver. Hitting a cat could be really distressing for many people and cause a seroius accident if they swerve.

[justmama]

thanks for all the ideas. I cannot build any enclosure on my property as I rent and I asked my landlords already and they said no. I do take him outside on leash and harness like i said but that's not seeming to be enough for him. like a previous poster said, his success rate at escaping is better than ours at keeping him in. And I think it is mostly my guilt at domesticating him when he was a previously happy farm kitten catching mice and drinking stray milk drops. he is feeding trained in that he will literally sit at the cabinet with the food from 3:30pm to 5pm when he's actually fed. And if you don't move fast enough, he WILL bite your ankles and feet(not to draw blood but to encourage you to move faster) to let you know that it's NOT cool that you are so slow. So he's feed twice a day and he KNOWS the times. In nice weather we open the windows and he sits int he window sill watching outside all day long alternating between that and crying at the door. I really feel awful but I would be so upset if something happened to him or if he caused an accident from being in the road. I still have to think on this a while longer. I'm not really ready to let him out on his own for any period of time but he's proving that he's willing to go to any lengths to get there. I think I'll try to keep him in as long as possible because I can't afford the vet bills if he gets hit and my kids would be devastated.
Thanks all for the advice. I'm still contemplating what to do with the little guy.

[grahamsmom98]

You could build an enclosure that is not permanent (PVC pipe and netting/chicken wire is very effective, lightweight and can be staked in place anywhere there is lawn). I have seen portable small animal enclosures in catalogues. They "pop-up" and are easily collapsed for storage. This way, your cat could have it's safe outdoor time (fresh air & sun/shade), without coming to harm itself, nor harming the native birds ( ) or eliminating in the neighbor's gardens ( ). This would probably be perfectly acceptable to your landlord (as long as you cleaned up any feces that the cat might leave on the lawn where the enclosure is staked). Win-win for everyone.

[Sol_y_Paz]

No, I wouldn't. You can build an enclosure if you want to give your cat safe outside time.
Here is a fence made for cats http://www.purrfectfence.com/

[Annie Mac]

That's a hard decision. It is definitely a quality vs possible quantity question. I have just started letting my cat out. She's 12 years old and has been an indoor cat all her life. However, since the baby arrived, she's been antsy and unhappy (and peeing on the baby's things), and the only thing that makes her normal is to allow her out now and then. I let her out the back, hoping she will stay in the yard, and sometimes she does and sometimes not. So far, she's been fine, and she's loving her new freedom. We live on a semi-busy road.

[blessedwithboys]

can you return him to a farm?

[justmama]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

can you return him to a farm?

no, not an option. the farm he came from is over 6hours away driving and he's been "domesticated" for 3 years and he's only just under 4. There's no way he'd survive on his own without someone taking care of him. And I'm not giving him up just because he's unhappy indoors. I'd rather let him out and take my chances or keep him indoors unhappy than give up on him just because he wants to go outside.

[newbymom05]

I'd keep him indoors. I live in the suburbs and recently found out one of my neighbors traps stray cats and releases them far away, even if they have a collar/tag. It's not only the road that's dangerous--not everyone is a pet lover, especially if that pet goes into their yard. Not that I'm saying your neighbor would ever do anything like that, just that *someone* might, and that's such a horrible thought.

[Princess ConsuelaB]

Even though I feel like a total goober we've started letting our feral born cat out for "leash time" a little each day. He has a small body harness and leash for cats(rather than a leash attached to a collar =choking danger). No, he doesn't get to run and climb extensively like he would if he were on his own, but he enjoys being out in the sun and fresh air and chasing bugs. Half the time he just plops down and rolls and purrs and lies in the sun.

We live near a highway and we also have raccoons, skunks, huge eagles and feral cats(mostly his siblings )It's just too dangerous a neighborhood for him but I felt guilty because it's also unnatural for him to live always inside...so I wrestled with the decision of whether to let him be an indoor/outdoor pet but finally settled on this as a compromise.

[Princess ConsuelaB]

Originally Posted by newbymom05

I'd keep him indoors. I live in the suburbs and recently found out one of my neighbors traps stray cats and releases them far away, even if they have a collar/tag. It's not only the road that's dangerous--not everyone is a pet lover, especially if that pet goes into their yard. Not that I'm saying your neighbor would ever do anything like that, just that *someone* might, and that's such a horrible thought.

Oh yeah I forgot my neighbor does this too, several of us neighbors have lost pets this way.

[newbymom05]

Originally Posted by Princess ConsuelaB

Oh yeah I forgot my neighbor does this too, several of us neighbors have lost pets this way.

Crazy.

[treeoflife3]

I can't stand people's pets wandering in my yard. I don't believe in outdoor indoor/outdoor cats either. Besides the obvious risks for animals in the wild, there are added risks in a neighborhood with cars and dogs and such.

Our neighbor always lets his cat run free.. pretty sure he's an outdoor only cat. He sits literally right in our window on the window sill to harass my cat who has serious anxiety issues with other animals. This causes my cat to pee in our house as well as to make tons of noise which has woken our baby up in the past (and during the stages where she WOULD NOT sleep so her sleeping was a miracle...)

This cat also felt the need to come into our PRIVACY FENCED yard via a tree while our dog was outside going potty. Our dog, who was normally a very good and happy dog, saw a strange new animal in her territory and did what many dogs do... chased. Thankfully my husband was able to stop it before bad things happened, but he DID have to literally pry our dog's jaw off the cat's neck. Not only would we have had to deal with the guilt of our pet killing another's pet, but we probably would have been held responsible as if we had made our dog do that on purpose.

I have also almost hit the cat numerous times because he will run right in front of our car at night. Again, guilt and possibly being held responsible.

I'm totally down for enclosures and leash time and junk for cats, but just letting them run free where they can cause problems for other people or be a risk or get hurt and just not come home... it just seems like a bad idea.

plus, I'm annoyed that I can't charge our neighbor with cleaning up all the cat pee his cat causes with my cat who always stays firmly inside.

[lexapurple]

Please don't. I am on the same page with last poster. I have dogs who do not like cats who come to our yard and had to risk my own well being saving neighbors cat who hopped the fence.
I don't see how your landlord can prevent you from having a temporary structure in your yard.
It doesn't have to be super large or tall. maybe 4x2x8 like a chicken tractor.